Our Services
Albany Medical Center offers several types of anesthesia options for patients. The anesthesia provided will vary based on the procedure and the needs of each patient. Our concern, first and foremost, is the comfort and safety of our patients. For additional information or concerns related to your individual situation, contact your doctor or your anesthesiologist.
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Dr. Christine Dearth describes what
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General anesthesia:
Through the administration of one or more medications, general anesthesia puts a patient into a state of unconsciousness that results in hypnosis, amnesia, analgesia, relaxation of skeletal muscles, and loss of control of reflexes of the autonomic nervous system during a procedure. Upon completion of a procedure, the effects of the anesthetics are reversed to streamline the recovery process.
Patients are advised to avoid solid foods at least six hours prior to receiving anesthesia, and clear fluids should be avoided for two to four hours prior to a procedure.
Local anesthesia
Local anesthesia blocks the nerves near the site of administration, causing loss of feeling in a limited area. This type of anesthesia is commonly used for pain management, surgical, dental and diagnostic procedures.
Regional anesthesia
Our anesthesiologists use ultrasound peripheral nerve blocks in regional anesthesia to provide intra-operative anesthesia and post-operative pain relief for our patients. By using ultrasound, our anesthesiologists can more accurately administer regional anesthesia, reducing the number of needle punctures and increasing success rates for peripheral blocks. Single injection peripheral nerve blocks are used, as well as catheter infusion techniques which permit continuous infusions for several days after the surgery. Regional anesthesia provides better analgesia with fewer side effects than conventional narcotic based techniques such as traditional intravenous narcotics.
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Dr. Arup De describes the benefits of
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Non Operating Room Anesthesia (NORA)
Some procedures can be performed with anesthesia outside of the operating room in a more comfortable setting for patients. As technology continues to advance in medical that make procedures easier and safer for patients, so has the opportunity for the application of non operating room anesthesia. The following medical procedures often use non operating room anesthesia:
- Gastrotintestinal Endoscopy: anesthetic care for screening endoscopies, as well as ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound.
- Interventional Radiology: anesthetic care for minimally invasive neurovascular disease assessment and treatment, as well as vascular/dialysis access, and placement of assorted indwelling catheters and devices.
- Cardiac Catheterization and Electrophysiology: anesthetic care for the diagnosis and management of a variety of pediatric congenital and adult diseases.
